Tires

[lyndon Sharpton]

Need some advice on tires for a driver. What do you guys like to use on a stock wheel, as for as tires go. give me some that you guys use an like for a street car. thanks

[Jack H.]

MANY prior threads in the archieves.... *NM*

[Duke W.]

Re: Tires

Look at the Spring and Summer 2003 issues of The Corvette Restorer.

Duke

[Eugene B.]

Re: Good time to ask?

Gents,
Now is a good time to ask a question about a statement that appears in the 2004 Coker Tire Catalog.

On page 5 (about the middle of the page, on the right) there is a sentence that deals with placing radial tires on OEM rims. It reads:

"Rims designed for bias tires can crack because of the extra stress placed on them with radial tires." They also recommend that radial tires be inflated to 35 psi.

Is this sound advice or a Coker CWA statement?

Regards to all,
Gene

[Dick W.]

Re: Good time to ask?

I think that it is probably a very prudent statement. Radials do put more stress on a wheel, however it is my thinking that Corvette wheels do have an added overload factor that your regular passenger car wheels do not. The 35 psi is pretty much the standard spec for a P metric radial. Ask F..d what happens when you recommend 26-28# in these tires.

[Duke W.]

Re: Good time to ask?

It's not clear to me how a radial tire would place "more stress on the rim". The rim flange contour (the letters following the wheel size such as "J" and "JK" of some older (pre-sixties or fifties) wheels) may not be compatible with modern tire bead design contours.

The maximum recommended cold pressure for P-metric tire is 35 psi, but since many P-metrics are designed to only meet the minimum (35 year old) DOT tire standards, they may indeed be "unsafe" at lower pressures or above 80 MPH.

A good reason to buy quality "H" or better speed rated tires.

Duke

[Dick W.]

Re: Good time to ask?

Duke, the reasoning that I was given that radials put more stress on the rims is that the radial sidewalls flex more laterally that do bias ply. This is what Michlein, General, and BFG told us in the '60's when we started testing radials in the fleet that I was working for.

[Duke W.]

Re: Good time to ask?

I don't recall hearing that, and I installed a set of Michelin X radials on my SWC in 1964 (They required tubes.), and I've never heard of a modern wheel designed for tubeless tires being damaged by a radial tire.

Modern tubeless tire bead profiles may not compatible with older wheels designed for tube type tires.

Duke

[Jack H.]

Note....

Original post was concerning a Shark car.... While early Sharks used wide oval tires, the factory changed to radial tires and mounted them on the same rally wheel rim. Hence, I'd venture a 'guess' that Chevy designed the rally wheel specifically for the 'stress' of radial tires from the git go.

The warning/disclaimer might well be applicable to MUCH earlier cars/wheels, but it can't mean much for the intended purposes of this thread (a Shark car)....

[Roy B.]

Re: Good time to ask?

Most Tube tires went by by in late 55

[Mike McKown]

I remember this to be a common warning.

The first radials I bought were in 1969. Then and for the next few years, there were warnings given about using radial tires on bias ply rims. The concern was that the wheels would be given side loads beyond their design intent which could result in fracture of the rim. As others have indicated, I have not heard of any wheel fractures by using belted bias designed rims with radial tires. Corvette wheels or otherwise. How you proceed is up to you but it never bothered me and I have had no problems with six old cars and radials aboard.

[Gerard F.]

Re: Tires

I love my Coker redline radials on a 67 small block. But of course, I don't do 135 mph anymore.

Jerry Fuccillo
#42179